Pakistan: Iran Fallout

The assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint strikes carried out by the United States (US) and Israel triggered widespread unrest across Pakistan on March 1, 2026. The protests exposed the country’s fragile internal security environment and the complexity of its diplomatic balancing between competing regional and global actors.

Protests erupted in several major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta, as well as in the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Demonstrations were driven largely by religious solidarity with Iran and strong anti-Western sentiment. Many rallies quickly escalated into violent confrontations with Security Forces (SFs) and attacks on diplomatic facilities, particularly those associated with the US.

The most serious violence occurred in Karachi, where protesters attempted to storm the US Consulate. Demonstrators reportedly breached the external security perimeter and entered the premises before police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. The confrontation resulted in multiple casualties and triggered heightened security measures across the city.

In Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US Consulate, surrounding the facility and briefly entering parts of the compound before being detained by security personnel. Demonstrators chanted anti-US slogans and carried portraits of Khamenei during the protest. Meanwhile, authorities imposed restrictions under Section 144 in Islamabad to prevent demonstrators from marching toward the US Embassy. Police in Peshawar similarly blocked protesters attempting to approach the US Consulate.

Violence in Gilgit-Baltistan proved particularly intense. Thousands joined demonstrations in Gilgit and Skardu, where protesters attacked and set fire to offices belonging to the United Nations (UN), including facilities linked to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan and the United Nations Development Programme. Additional structures targeted included a school, the office of a police superintendent, and the office of the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme. Protesters also blocked sections of the Karakoram Highway, a key strategic road linking Pakistan with China. The intensity of the clashes prompted authorities to impose a curfew in Skardu and deploy units of the Pakistan Army to restore order.

Casualty figures remain disputed. Official reports confirmed 10 deaths and more than 30 injured in Karachi. However, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, leader of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, claimed that 34 people were killed nationwide – 18 in Karachi, four in Islamabad, and six each in Gilgit and Skardu. Authorities have not confirmed these figures.

Pakistan’s political and religious leadership broadly condemned the killing. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf described the assassination as a grave violation of international law, with senior leader Omar Ayub Khan calling it a “state-executed assassination.” Hafiz Naeemur Rehman of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan described the US and Israel as “terrorist states” and argued that the attack violated the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Government officials also expressed solidarity with Iran while simultaneously urging restraint. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the day as one of mourning for the Muslim Ummah and appealed for peaceful protests while reviewing security arrangements in Islamabad’s Red Zone and Diplomatic Enclave. Power Minister Awais Leghari similarly emphasised solidarity with Iran after but urged citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

Authorities initiated investigations into the violence following the unrest. The provincial government of Sindh established a Joint Investigation Team and ordered a judicial inquiry into the Karachi incident. Sindh Interior Minister Ziaul Hasan Langar rejected claims that US Marines guarding the consulate had opened fire on protesters, stating instead that casualties occurred during clashes with Pakistani security forces after demonstrators breached the security cordon.

Religious scholar Allama Syed Shahenshah Hussain Naqvi warned that Pakistan was already confronting instability due to terrorism threats and broader geopolitical tensions. He urged citizens to maintain unity and avoid actions that could further destabilise the country during a period of heightened regional uncertainty. The unrest highlights Pakistan’s vulnerability to external geopolitical shocks. The protests also exposed deep sectarian sensitivities, particularly in Shia-dominated regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan and parts of Sindh. Moreover, attacks on US diplomatic facilities and UN offices complicate Islamabad’s diplomatic posture at a time when it seeks to maintain functional relations with both Iran and the US. Managing domestic unrest while balancing these competing relationships is likely to remain a major challenge for Pakistan, as regional tensions continue to escalate.